When the Bough Breaks

November 1, 2007
Gr 5-7-During the 1930s, hard times hit the Carr family. Millie is nearly 13 and Hamish 10 when their mother announces that she is going to have another child. While the girl dreams of going to business school, the chores and demands of daily living make even her part-time work at the drugstore difficultand then nearly impossible when her mother dies shortly after giving birth. Details of their Ontario community are interwoven into the narrative, and one of the novel's strengths is the depiction of how economic struggles have affected everyone. Early on, an impoverished "traveling woman" enters the story; she tries to pay for her handout of bread and tea with a reading of the family's frightening future. Their father's taciturn grief, Hamish's acting out, and Millie's responsibilities make life complex. In this somewhat internal story, the unfolding of events quietly ratchets up suspense as Millie realizes that the Gypsy woman wants the baby. Millie's struggles to be patient, to become a homemaker, and to fulfill her own dreams contrast with today's ideas about gender equity. This novel provides a good sense of the work that has long been regarded as part of women's role, and it offers a great example of the acceptance of family demands while underscoring the cost."Carol A. Edwards, Denver Public Library"

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